On behalf of my fellow councillors, I want to thank all of you for coming together and supporting each other. But the past year has seen us tackle more than coronavirus.

This report wraps up the last year of the current council term. I would like to thank my fellow councillors for the service they have given over the past 4 years.

Together with our community and Merri-bek staff, we have achieved so much:

• We adopted our Zero Carbon Merri-bek Climate Emergency Action Plan.
• Level crossings are on track to be removed in Merri-bek.
• Design work has been completed for the community hub project in Glenroy.
• Counihan Gallery, at the heart of Merri-bek’s cultural life, has been expanded.
• Brunswick Baths has been renovated.
• We purchased 3 sites for our A Park Close to Home program to increase green spaces.

You can read more about the year in Highlights of the year.

Thank you to everyone who has come together to tackle the challenges of the past year. We have achieved so much because of you.

Mayor Cr Lambros Tapinos
Download our Mayor’s full report

Chief Executive Officer’s report

I joined Merri-bek in December 2019. Since then I have seen the resilience, commitment and flexibility of our organisation. And the incredible spirit in our community.

This has been especially so during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreland Council’s key directions are to:

• strengthen the community
• support a progressive city
• govern responsibly.

In a pandemic, these directions were even more critical. 

We redeployed staff to support our relief efforts. They worked on health and safety initiatives and business continuity plans.

Staff in our essential areas worked to maintain services. Hundreds of staff began working remotely for the first time. Many of our frontline staff found truly resourceful and new ways to deliver services.

Our response to COVID-19 has had an impact on some of the goals that had been set before the pandemic. But we are on track to increase our special support for the community and continue other operations at current levels in the coming year. This is due to our good financial management.  

The Local Government Act 2020 has brought higher expectations to how we engage with the community. We have begun our considered approach to implementing these new requirements.

The 2019-20 year has been without precedent. Thank you to everyone who has helped us deliver the best outcomes possible for our community.

Cathy Henderson Chief Executive Officer
Download our CEO’s full report

In your language

We have translated the messages from our Mayor and Chief Executive Officer. Here you can find this information in 3 community languages:

• Messaggio del Sindaco e dal CEO in Italiano 
• Μηνύματα του Δημάρχου και της CEO στα ελληνικά 
• رسائل العمدة والرئيس التنفيذي باللغة العربية 

If you have questions, you can contact us.